Firstly, thanks to those who responded to my request for last-minute submissions to the atlas. One local user of this forum has added about 4000 records

Secondly, all contributors should have recently received the final Bird Atlas newsletter, which is fascinating reading for those of us who like birds and maps!

I hope you're all saving your pennies to buy the book when it is published (August 2013 is the planned date) . However, save some of them for our new Greater Manchester Atlas (publication date ).

Please note that the maps in the newsletter are only draft ones and are not based on the final data. The confirmed breeding of Whinchat in the SW of the county on the page 10 map has since been deleted

Just to let you know - we have extended the deadline for online data submissions for the Bird Atlas website to 31 January 2012. So, if you have recently found records that you should have submitted to the atlas, it's not too late (yet!).

Also, if you haven't done so for some time, please Login to Data Home to see if you have any records queried. They are usually simple to resolve!

to sum up:Send all paper forms in now (to me please)31 January - enter all data online

The end of the year approaches and, for many, so does the end of Bird Atlas 2007-11. This project has involved thousands of volunteer fieldworkers and has been responsible for consuming many thousands of hours of participation. The final stage approaches and the time-table for publication is making its unstoppable journey to the collated and printed version of those collected 210 million bird records! It has been a fantastic achievement, the envy of all other birding organisations everywhere and is a tribute to all of those involved.

For conservation, the Atlas is but the beginning. The data that we have all collected have already started to formulate further questions that require answers if bird species are to be protected for future generations. Much of the survey work that we will be asked to contribute to over the next years will be as a result of atlas data.

The current recession has not passed BTO by and the projected Winter Thrushes Survey planned for this winter has had to be held over for a year though you can still contribute Winter Thrush records via Birdtrack, which now has an atlas-style Roving Records function.

If you have enjoyed getting involved in Bird Atlas (or other BTO surveys) but are not currently a BTO member, please give it serious consideration. It doesn't cost that much (think how much you pay to watch a football match!) and you do get a magazine full of interesting articles (not just ads for binoculars and bird tours). More importantly, you would be making a significant contribution to bird conservation.